The present invention is directed to methods and systems to provide consumers (at home or away from home) quantities of ready-to-drink beverages, especially brewed coffee and tea and coffee and tea drinks (lattes, cappuccinos, chai teas, etc.). The consumer may customize a type of selection of beverage and various characteristics thereof, based upon his/her taste preferences; the serving of ready-to-drink beverage will be provided to the consumer.
More particularly, the present invention is directed to a system in which information is collected from a consumer regarding certain type, quantity, taste and strength preferences of the consumer. The information collected will be used to customize a suitable beverage product(s) for the individual consumer. The means for dilution of the beverage extract or concentrate may be linked to the information system so that an extract/concentrate (e.g., brewed) may be diluted according to a customized strength, thereby accommodate the consumer""s strength preferences.
The xe2x80x9cdelayed dilutionxe2x80x9d aspects of the present invention may be used to accommodate the individual consumer""s taste preferences by utilizing multiple varieties of specific types of beverage (e.g., more than one selection of coffee and/or tea), as well as different varieties or tea or coffee (roast strength, grind selection, plant and/or bean variety) in the brewing system. The xe2x80x9cdelayed dilutionxe2x80x9d aspects may also be used to deliver varieties of beverage options by using the undiluted concentrate/extract to mix/dissolve other beverage compounds or flavors to make chai-teas, cappuccinos, lattes, etc., with minimal dilution to the final beverage. The xe2x80x9cdelayed mixingxe2x80x9d aspect of the present invention may be utilized to accommodate consumers"" taste preferences by taking separated selected extractions of the brew and diluting appropriate fraction(s) in accordance with the consumer""s preferences. The xe2x80x9cdelayed filteringxe2x80x9d aspects of the present invention may be utilized to accommodate various consumer preferences by offering variations in processing that would impact various aspects of body and character to accommodate a wide range of consumer taste preferences.
By providing a high volume system for making ready-to-drink beverages and dispensing successive individually customized servings thereof, the invention is particularly desirable in the restaurant, (especially fast food) environments, as well commercial and industrial settings (office buildings, workplaces, hospitals, and the like, with large waiting areas
This invention may also be used in household environments where it may be desirable to make several different types of finished beverage products tailored to the taste preferences of several household members. Because these many variations may be made from earlier, initial brew(s), the variations of the same type of beverage (e.g., coffee vs. tea) can be provided immediately upon each individual selection.
Much study has been given to the most satisfactory way to brew beverages such as coffee and tea and it is a fact that an excellent grade of coffee or tea can be effectively ruined for consumption by improper methods of preparation of the ready-to-drink product. In general, a high quality and most satisfying coffee or tea drink is obtained only when it possesses fine characteristic aroma, delicacy of characteristic flavor, and fullness of characteristic body.
Also importantly, many consumers have come to appreciate the many various options available with respect to coffee and tea products (e.g., variations in strength, varietal type, creaminess, flavors) and there are a wide variety of coffee options (lattes, espressos, cappuccinos, etc.) and tea options (regular tea, creamy tea, chai-tea and green teas). However, especially in a commercial/industrial setting (e.g., restaurant, fast-food industry, workplace, hospitals), there are many hurdles (e.g., space, difficulty, time, and/or inconvenience) to be overcome in delivering, especially on demand, the preferred choice of beverage to a wide range of consumers.
Additionally, most individual households comprise family members with various taste preferences: heretofore, it has been, at best, cumbersome and bothersome to address individual preferences, and would require many different brewing cycles and many different receptacles to accommodate mixing of different fractions and types. It would be desirable to employ one (or at least a minimal number of) extracts in a single countertop station to efficiently accommodate various taste preferences, on demand, in a household environment.
One particularly preferred aspect of the present invention is coffee beverages. Coffee beverages comprise an aqueous solution of the water-soluble (and sometimes insoluble) constituents of the roasted and ground beans of the tree of the family Rubiaciae. There are many varieties of this plant, but the two having the most significance commercially is Caffee arabica and Caffea canephora (robusta).
Equipment for brewing beverages such as coffee, tea, and the like have typically been of the xe2x80x9csingle stationxe2x80x9d type, in which an empty carafe or pot is positioned on a heating element below a receptacle or brewing funnel which contains a measured quantity of dry beverage-making material, e.g. roast and ground coffee or tea leaves. Hot water is then passed through the material to extract the essential oils, flavor and body that make up the beverage, and then drains downwardly through an opening in the funnel into the pot or carafe. If and when a second pot or carafe of beverage is needed, the first must be moved to a separate heating element or plate.
Although such prior beverage brewers work satisfactorily for making relatively small quantities of beverages, in restaurants and other commercial and institutional establishments, there is a continuing need for equipment to make large quantities of brewed beverage, but be able to instantaneously accommodate the taste preferences of a wide variety of consumers; furthermore, this equipment must be easy to use and relatively automatic so as not to require an unreasonable amount of personal attention during the brewing cycle. The needs of restaurants, institutions and other commercial establishments are of particular concern in regard to equipment for brewing and making an acceptable cup of coffee to an individual consumer, given the limitations of space, labor, and time.
Some currently available beverage brewing devices provide essentially instantaneous hot water to brew beverages in a short amount of time. These devices typically have a hot water reservoir which maintains a volume of water at a predetermined temperature. A cold water fill tube is attached inside the reservoir, with one end close to, but not abutting, the bottom of the hot water reservoir, of a separate cold water reservoir or basin positioned above the heated reservoir. A hot water discharge tube has one end positioned in the hot water reservoir near an outlet zone generally at the top of the hot water reservoir. Another end of the discharge tube delivers hot water transported through the tube to a beverage brewing substance in order to produce a brewed beverage concentrate.
In order to brew a beverage in a beverage brewing device as described above, cold water is poured into the basin. The cold water flows through the cold water fill tube and accumulates at the bottom of the hot water reservoir due to temperature variations between the cold and hot water. The hot water is displaced by the cold water and moves upwardly towards the top of the hot water reservoir, which is sealed by a cover, and through the hot water discharge tube. Upon being dispensed into a beverage brewing substance, the hot water and beverage brewing substance create a brewed beverage concentrate. (For examples of representative instantaneous hot water beverage brewing apparati, see U.S. Pat. No. 3,385,201 to Martin, U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,871 to Anson, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,025,714 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,113,752, both to Brewer.)
Dilution of the brewed extract/concentrate is necessary in order to prevent the brewed extract/concentrate from being too strong as well as preventing an additional manual step of diluting the extract/concentrate after it has been brewed. Dilution of the brewed concentrate is achieved by feeding water from the basin to either the brewing funnel and allowing it to pass through the grounds/leaves or the area between the inner brewing funnel and the outer brewing funnel.
It is generally desirable to provide equipment which requires minimum maintenance by the employees. It is preferable to provide equipment which will make a sufficient volume of brew to meet the customer demands without over-producing, but in adequate quantities which can be replenished within a reasonable time with minimum attention by the employees. Additionally, and desirably, the equipment should usually be compact.
It is, therefore, desirable to provide a beverage-brewing system which will allow a consumer to customize their preferred variety of beverages from a virtually endless selection of possibilities; the system of the present invention will provide an individually customized serving of beverage delivered at the desired temperature and ready to drink.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide an improved system for providing an individually customized brewed ready-to-drink beverages to a consumer, in a wide range of types, varieties, and/or strengths.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a brewing system for making varieties of brewed beverages, in particular variety, body, character and/or strengths as chosen by multiple individual consumers with the system being easy to use, by the consumer or other individual (e.g., restaurant wait staff) obtaining the customized beverage. Further, the maintenance of the subject equipment requires only a small amount of personal attention by the owner/operator of the equipment.
A general object of the present invention is to utilize xe2x80x9cdelayed dilutionxe2x80x9d of a concentrate extract to provide a beverage brewing system which immediately (upon customer selection) provides selective dilution (based on individual consumer""s selections) of a beverage extract after the extract has been allowed to brew and held as an extract before dilution.
It is also a general object of the present invention to utilize the undiluted extract to mix and dissolve other beverage compounds to make flavored coffees and teas, cappuccinos, lattes, creamy coffees and teas, chai teas, green teas, and the like.
It is also a general object of the present invention to utilize aspects of xe2x80x9cdelayed mixingxe2x80x9d and/or xe2x80x9cdelayed filteringxe2x80x9d to accommodate various consumer preferences regarding body character and consistency of the finished beverage, especially coffee-type beverages.
It is also a general object of the present invention to provide a brewed beverage delivery system which allows a consumer to select from various classifications of beverages and customize said selection according to that consumer""s preferences.
One aspect of the present is the method for delivering an individually customized beverage product to a consumer. An exemplary method comprises the steps of obtaining consumer preference data from the consumer; determining a beverage formulation corresponding to the consumer preference data; and providing the consumer a customized beverage product corresponding to the beverage formulation.
Another aspect of the present invention is the interactive system for delivering a customized beverage product to a consumer. In one example, the system comprises a user interface; a customization director in communication with a customization data store, wherein the customization director comprises executable instructions for determining a user""s customized formulation, and a beverage delivery system in communication with the customization director comprising executable instructions for delivering a customized beverage product.
Yet another aspect is a computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling a beverage delivery system to produce a customized beverage product. In one embodiment, the instructions comprise the steps of: obtaining consumer preference data; determining a consumer beverage formulation corresponding to the consumer preference data; and providing the consumer a customized beverage corresponding to the consumer beverage formulation.
Still other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which is simply, by way of illustration, various modes contemplated for carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other different obvious aspects all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions are illustrative in nature and not restrictive.
These and other objects of the present invention are set forth more clearly and fully in the following detailed description of two preferred embodiments of the present invention shown and described in connection with the attached drawings, in which: